Let's be honest and fair here. Liverpool were always going to be seen as the underdogs in their recent UEFA Champions League group stage match against Real Madrid, not only because of their unpredictable form of late, but also as they were up against the defending UCL champions.
They were comprehensively beaten 3-0 at home, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema (x2) getting themselves on the scoresheet.
Having said that, it could have been much worse for Rodgers' men. Ancelotti's side came and conquered at Anfield, but all 3 goals were easily preventable if it was not for the leaky Liverpool defence. A shame really..
So, how does the result affect Liverpool, if at all?
The Reds are now stuck in 3rd place, in Group B.
Real Madrid and Ludogorets are ahead of them, currently they would qualify for the knock-out stages of the Europa League. Something that they must avoid at ALL costs.
If they continue to struggle in the UCL, it could affect both their domestic campaign as well as any European aspirations they had set for themselves this season.
Will Liverpool qualify for the knock-out rounds?
It's probably premature to predict whether The Reds will drop down into the Europa League, but it is clear that they need to win from here on in.
Real Madrid will comfortably win the group, avoiding catasrophe. So it goes down to the race for that 2nd place spot. Ludogorets are the underdogs, but it has helped other teams in the past to progress. Basel beat Liverpool in Switzerland a few weeks back, so Rodgers' men need to get a good result at Anfield to stand any chance of staying with Europe's elite past December.
So, the answer at the moment? Yes. But, it will be tough with everything in the Champions League right now. Nothing is ever easy in a competition like this, you need to get off to the best possible start and LFC have certainly not done that. Not all doom and gloom though.